WASTE management specialist Cawleys has launched a new dedicated division to its business, recycling lithium-ion batteries.
The new business Lithium Battery Recycling Solutions is a natural expansion of Cawleys’ hazardous waste department and will specialise in the collection, transportation, dismantling and recycling of lithium-ion batteries.
It is one of the very few lithium battery recycling services in the UK and has been developed to meet the growing demand for electrical power, both from electric vehicles and other areas such as machinery.
Cawleys is already experienced in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries and has been handling and treating such batteries for some ten years within its hazardous waste division.
The company says that establishing Lithium Battery Recycling Solutions as its own brand is a natural evolution.
The business will be headed up by technical director Alan Colledge and Tony Goodman, who becomes the new venture’s lithium business development consultant. Cawleys has also unveiled a new website lithiumbatteryrecycling.co.uk.
Lithium batteries are a known fire risk and dealing with the batteries compliantly at their end of life is a basic health and safety requirement. Lithium Battery Recycling Solutions is one of the first companies to provide a completely regulated service ensuring the safe collection, transportation, storage, dismantling and recycling of lithium batteries.
Mr Colledge said: “It is an honour to be at the forefront of this new business which will lead the way in providing a sustainable and safe solution for the disposal of lithium-ion batteries. This launch involves working with many household names in vehicle and machinery production, as well as research and development.
“The automotive industry, along with many other with a reliance on electric power will be highly reliant on services such as ours in the very near future and we are delighted to be providing such a unique and vital service.”
Lithium battery production relies heavily on the mining of raw materials such as cobalt and nickel. These are extremely valuable elements and by recycling the lithium batteries that are currently in use, reliance on mining raw materials is reduced.
Cawleys says this provides a sustainable, full-circle solution by reclaiming valuable elements and putting them to good use.
“This approach is vitally important in a world where protecting the environment is top of the agenda and we predict that demand for battery recycling services will grow exponentially,” a spokesman said.
